22, 24, 26 October

22 October

 eBird Stats: https://ebird.org/checklist/S121126387

weather:  8:30 am 7C  wind  W 7,  1:00 pm  11C wind NNW 9, clear

tide:  11:00 am 2.0m, rising

24 October

eBird Stats: https://ebird.org/checklist/S121259249

weather:  8:30 am 5C wind WSW 3,  1pm 10C wind E 12

tide:  11:00 2.3m falling

26 October

eBird Stats:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S121359021

weather:  8:30 am 4C, wind  SW 6, 1:00 pm 9C wind ESE 3, cloudy

tide:  10:30 am 3.5m, falling


Here I am, back in home territory.  The Estuary looks a bit different after a few days of very welcome rain.


Of course, it's not verdant.  It's the end of October.  But at least it's not that depressing dried out vegetation grey any longer.  

The birding situation is a bit on the slow side, in part because there have been quite low tides the past few mornings.  This means that shorebirds and waterfowl are waay beyond view.


That said, there was an obliging hairy woodpecker on the 22nd, so intent on his drilling that he had no problem with being photographed


Yesterday (the 24th) there was a curious transition from a kestrel to a juvenile female Cooper's hawk.  



As I watched the kestrel, he flew about protesting something, a sound described more or less accurately as "klee-klee-klee-klee."  Then I looked further and on a lower limb there was the young Cooper's hawk.


The situation escalated, with the much smaller kestrel dive-bombing the hawk.  Despite the differences in size, eventually the kestrel flew off and the hawk moved to a different limb.



26 October

The seasons have well and truly changed.  There was heavy rain yesterday, and it was chilly enough that I was not surprised to see 
the Arrowsmith massif with a generous mantle of snow.


Indeed, it looked as though the snow level must have been quite low.There was snow on most of the hilltops to the north, many of which are merely hilltops.

I was delighted to find that Mr. and Mrs. Hooded Mergansers had returned to the Merganser Pond.



I do hope they stick around.  They're among my very favourite birds.  To me, there's just something especially charming about their demeanour.  

The tide was higher than it's been lately, and predictably the duck population has become well represented.  Again, the view of the Islands and mainland was striking, in the grey weather.


If you enlarge the photo, there's one of three great blue herons sitting beside the curved log on the shore, possibly studying the ducks.


There is a new dusting of snow on the Coast Range.

Again, to my delight, whom should I see but Madame Eagle working on her nest across the river.


In view of the trees still holding their leaves, I couldn't get a good photo of her, but sure enough, here she was.

It was a still morning, and beautiful in a somewhat sombre way.



It was a bit chilly, and has since come on to rain once more, but it really was an autumn day to cherish.




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